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Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today he’s deploying additional State Police personnel to New York City after federal officials received word of a possible Al-Qaeda car-bomb plot in the city and Washington D.C.

Speaking after taking an aerial tour of the flood-ravaged Southern Tier, Cuomo said the threat has been “deemed a credible threat, but not a corroborated threat,” and that State Police will be coordinating safety efforts with the Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Port Authority.

“My office has had conversations with senior federal officials about it, local law enforcement officials about it,” Cuomo said. “We are taking it seriously, as we should.”

Just moments ago, the governor released this statement:

“The reports of a new possible terrorist threat against New York are cause for renewed vigilance and awareness, but not alarm or panic. We will not allow the terrorists to dampen our spirits on this anniversary. Our state and local law enforcement officials are always at the highest state of alert. New Yorkers should feel confident that everything that needs to be done is being done to keep the city secure.

I have been in contact with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano as well as senior officials at the White House who have briefed me on the situation and we remain in direct and constant communication and coordination with our partners in federal and local law enforcement.

In response to this recent threat and to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers, I have ordered the deployment of significant additional state police officers to critical infrastructure sites within New York City as an added precaution. I have directed State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico, MTA Chairman Jay Walder, and Port Authority Executive Director Chris Ward to coordinate the deployment of these additional resources and to work with the NYPD and other law enforcement.

The deployment will focus on providing additional security for the World Trade Center site, Penn Station, Grand Central Station, bridges and tunnels, and other key infrastructure sites and state facilities.

While every threat is treated with the utmost seriousness and rigor on the part of law enforcement, there is no reason for undue anxiety.

The commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks will not only stand as a solemn day of remembrance and mourning, but serve as a reminder to the world that New Yorkers are a beacon of strength, resilience, and unity. As we pledged together as one state and nation on that terrible day ten years ago, terrorists will never break our will to live free from fear.

We will not give the terrorists what they want which is to instill fear and anxiety and thus infringe on our freedom. This is our day and we must not let them take it.”

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Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.